TO MY EEADERS. 



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Philosophy has invested all, even the commonest objects of Na- 

 ture, with charms to the uneducated unknown. The conditions of our 

 being are such, that we are tied by destiny to every object ; and the 

 more intimate and appreciable the connection, the more interesting 

 and important to us, becomes a full understanding of our mutual 

 relations and dependencies in the vast arena of Life. No part of 

 Natural Science, therefore, can be considered unimportant or devoid 

 of interest. Still there are differences in our appreciation of its 

 individual parts, as there are differences in our tastes and mental 

 capacities. If we are accustomed, like the sportive birds in their 

 splendid plumage and graceful motions, to look down upon the 

 mammalia as the real labouring class in the dominion of the Animal 

 Kingdom ; if we despise the Reptiles on account of their ugliness and 

 the deadly venom which they contain ; still, we may approach with 

 pleasure the class of Fishes, the greatest part of which are excellent 

 food, a valuable article of commerce, and a great source of wealth to 

 many nations. 



But no branch of Natural History deserves a more careful and 

 thorough study than the class of Insects, because none is more 

 abounding in use or injury to man. The study and knowledge of the 

 companions that swarm around us on every tree and flower, in the air 

 about us, and on the earth beneath us, must be important and inter- 

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